Case, display carton, and the like



Sept. 23, 194 R. GRAEBENER' I CASE, DISPLAY CARTON." AND THE LIKE Filed Jun so, 1959 fnrenfar' RICHARD GRAEBENER megs A Ho

Patented Sept. 23, 1941 i *cAsnmsrL YcAn'rom NnTHE-Lmn i 7 Richard Graebener, Karlsrirhe;Baden Geniiany i 3 Q Application June 30, 1939, Serial No. 282,029 In Germany January 19, 1939 2 Claims.

Display cartons and similar boxes serve for dispatching the goods especially branded goods, and also preferably, as containers for the goods when sold.

It is usual to set these containers up on the shop counter, or the like, in order to draw customers attention to the goods; and it is preferable and important to stand up the cartons or containers in an inclined position to bring them more effectively into the customers field of vision. For this purpose, most cartons and containers are provided, on the rear side, with stays adapted to open and fold up. During transit, said stays are folded up in the plane of the rear wall and, in setting-up the container, are opened out, by more or less troublesome manipulations, into such a position that the carton stands firmly on the table.

In most instances the opening out and fixing of the stay is too bothersome for the customer who therefore, for the sake of convenience, simply lays the container down on the table, the result being, that the whole device is superfluous, and the desired object is not attained.

The present invention relates to the arrangement of a stay which during transit can be folded up in the plane of the rear wall of the case or container, and therefore takes up litle room but opens automatically and locks itself in the supporting position, as soon as the carton or display case is unpacked and put to stand up.

According to this invention, a self-opening stay for cases, display cartons and the like with stays on the rear wall for setting up in a sloping position, is characterised in that two strips or sheets of cardboard or the like are divided by a crease or hinge and are secured to the rear wall of the case at their ends to provide two oppositely disposed hinged flaps, and engage one another at their free ends, the free portion of one flap being provided with a slot in which the free portion of the other flap i slidable, the free end of this latter flap having a T-shaped head which limits the movement of the other flap in one direction, whilst the other flap is connected to a tension spring, rubber band or the like so arranged as to tend to swing the said flap outwards as far as the T-head permits.

The invention will be clearly understood from the following description aided by the accompanying drawing in which one example of carrying the invention into effect is illustrated, and

in which:

Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a display case with the stay folded up on the rear wall.

2 is a side elevation of Figure 1 and shows the stay in the supporting position (indicated by chain-dotted lines). Figure 3 is a perspective view (from the rear side) of the display case, supported in the sloping position.

The rear wall a carries two flaps, each of which is divided, by a fold or crease b or 0, into two parts b, b2 and 0, 02 respectively. By means of their outer parts b and 0', these two flaps are attached opposite each other to the rear wall a. of the case. The part D2 of the upper flap is provided with a shouldered slot d, d2. That end of the flap (:2 which projects through said slot is pr0videdas shown in Figure 1on its free end with a T-shaped head or extension e which is under cut to fit the width of the portion d of the slot.

Attached to the rear wall a or to the portion b of the upper flap is a tension spring 1 which also engages the other portion D2 of the flap, said spring tending to swing said flap 122 outwards. The tension member may, with advantage consist of a rubber band or ring which is connected to the flap b2-for example in a tongue h, formed by slits 0 (Figure 3)and on corresponding lugs or tongues g of the part b V In the example attached to the rear wall a. shown (Figure l), the loop of the band f is simply slung around the lugs g and under the catch h of the slot d. The rubber band or a tension spring thus engages with the portion b2 of the flap and tends to swing said flap b2 and 02 can be slid one into the other by moving the head end e out of the narrow portion dl of the slot into the wider portion d2 of same and pressing down the flaps b2 and 02 which can now slide one within the other. With the stay in this flat position, the cartons or display cases can be packed without the stay taking up any substantial room. Directly a carton is unpacked and the stay released, the flap b2 will be automatically swung outwards and upwards by the rubber band I or spring until it is stopped by the head e of the flap 02. At the same time the narrow portion d engages in the shorter portion 01', thus locking the two parts together. The stay has now automatically assumed the position shown in Figure 3 and the display case necessarily takes up the desired sloping position on being set up.

Details may, of course, be varied. For example, the flap c'--c2 may occupy the upper position on the carton, and the flap b'b2, the lower Figure 55 position.

Iclaim:

1. Self-opening stays for cases, display cartons and the like with stays on the rear wall for setting up in a sloping position, characterised by two bent strips secured to the rear wall of the case at their ends to provide two oppositely disposed hinged flaps, said flaps engaging one another at their free ends, the free portion of one flap being provided with a shouldered slot in which the free portion of the other flap is slidable, the free end of said other flap having a T-shaped head which limits the movement of the first-mentioned flap in one direction, said other flap being undercut below the T-shapedhead to the same width as the narrow portion of the shouldered slot, so that when the first mentioned flap swings outwards, the undercut portion below the head of the other flap slides into the narrow portion of the slot to lock the stay in the open position, and resilient means connected to the swinging portion and the secured portion of the first-mentioned flap and tending to swing the first-mentioned flap outwards as far as the T-head permits.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that said resilient means consists of a rubber band and that the portion ofthe slotted flap secured to the case is provided with two lugs around which said rubber band is slung, the band being also engaged with a tongue in the flap.

RICHARD GRAEBENER. 

